


The Wolf in the Old Forest

by Ravvi



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, Bondage, Cum Inflation, Dismemberment, Dominance/submission, Ectogenitals, Force-Feeding, Forced Cannibalism, Hard vore, I think that's all but definitely let me know if I missed something important, Kind of..., Other, Predator/Prey, Rape/Non-con Elements, Size Difference, Vore, or at least magic that looks a lot like blood, people getting straght up eaten but they don't die, primal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:27:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22674058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravvi/pseuds/Ravvi
Summary: Undertale cross-universe AU where Underfell and Underswap Sans are kemono bunnies (mostly skeletons with bunny ears and the tail).  Winter has been unusually harsh and Blueberry is out scavenging for food.  Those wolf tracks are surely nothing that he needs to worry about...Second part of Lycovore's Secret Santa gift!  It was packaged separately from the puppies and triple-bagged for freshness.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 53





	1. A Spoonful of Sugar

_ring… ring ring…_

Dawn light poured over the ground, setting the snowy, premorning forest aglow. Blueberry crept out of the trees and into an open meadow, examining the ground carefully. The footprints of a lone wolf crossed the clearing in several places, all faint and lightly dusted with snow. He frowned at them, double-checking the narrow shape of the paw, the firm imprint of the clawed tows. It was definitely a wolf, and it was definitely just one. 

_ring… ring ring…_

Blueberry cocked his head with a puzzled frown. There it was again! Faint and tinny, but still _definitely_ the sound of a bell. Who on earth would be wandering around in the forest ringing a bell? The sheep herders, maybe? They put bells on their sheep to keep track of the silly things, but this was the middle of winter. With no grass to eat, the flocks were kept penned up, growing fat and lazy on hay and summer oats. 

_ring… ring ring…_

Blueberry nodded to himself. That was definitely a sheep bell. Maybe the shepherds had needed to move the flock to a different pasture? That would be lucky. With sheep tramping through the forest, the wolf would surely be nearby, hoping to steal a straggler for dinner. He would be able to slip by unnoticed!

Emboldened, Blueberry continued forward, keeping an eye out for fresher tracks that might mean the wolf wasn’t dutifully harassing sheep as planned. He also kept an eye out for more, or different prints, since everyone knew that wolves always lived in packs. Strangely enough, he didn’t see any, even by the time he had arrived at the overgrown garden behind an abandoned cabin. Weird...was it _always_ true that wolves lived in packs? Maybe this one was old, or sick. It had to be, if it was all alone and trying to poach silly, domesticated animals for food. He almost felt a little sorry for it, as he padded up to the gate that broke the garden’s protective, stone wall. He knew what it felt like to be lonely.

Deep in thought, he almost missed the circular indentation in the snow. The moment he saw it, he froze, glaring suspiciously at the ground. 

“Now what do we have here?” he murmured, tearing a pine branch off a nearby tree and using it to dust away the snow. A circle of rough, braided cord quickly appeared just beneath the surface. 

“Gotcha,” he grinned, then tossed the branch aside and gave the rope a firm tug. It whipped out of his gloved hand, flying over the limb of an oak tree and out of sight with a sharp _twang!_

“Hmmph! That is what you get for trying to trap me, the Master of Traps!” he declared smugly while dusting off his hands. He stepped into the garden-

SNAP!

“AH!” Blueberry shrieked as flung snow and coarse rope flew into the air and he was jerked off his feet. He came to a bouncing halt six feet above the snow as the second, (UNFAIRLY) laid trap sprang shut, leaving him ensnared face-downward in a crude net with both arms pinned tightly to his sides. Oh, of all the RUDE things to do! All he wanted to do was scavenge this ABANDONED garden for food, and now one of his _ears_ was pinched against his face and it _hurt!_

“TWO traps? Why would anyone ever bother with two traps?!” he groused, wrenching his shoulders to the side with a strained grunt.

**_RRRING_ ** _rrri **NG** rring ring ring…_

Blueberry froze, then slowly turned his head toward the source of the sound. A large, silver sheep’s bell was tied to top of the net, about three arm-lengths above his head. 

“Oh…” he whispered, then snapped his head around, quickly scanning the ground. The snow inside the garden, visible now from his higher vantage point, was layered with wolf tracks. ALL of them looked fresh.

“Oh no,” Blueberry whispered, dread burning down the back of his neck as he realized what the bell from earlier had really been for. Not sheep, or shepherds. It must have been another trap. And the bell's distinctive, foreign sound would carry for _miles_ through this forest. Oh stars…the wolf was probably already on the way!

“NNNGH!” Blueberry strained, kicking out in a desperate bid to untangle his limbs. The bell pealed cheerfully with every wiggle, giving an especially loud ring as he finally managed to wrench his right arm free. Panting, he ran his fingers over the knots next to his face, looking for weak spots or frayed areas. Unable to find anything especially promising, he chose a strand at random and bit into it. Ice crystals embedded in the weave made it stiff and unyielding. He chewed at it anyway, furiously grinding the fibers apart with his teeth.

“What a delightful little surprise,” someone purred nearby. Blueberry shrieked and jerked away from the voice, making that cursed bell jingle again as someone gave a deep, throaty laugh. “Naughty bunny, chewing on my trap instead of waiting for me to come get you.”

Blueberry froze, shrinking in on himself in horror as the largest hand he had ever seen threaded itself through the net and gently spun it around. The monster he found himself facing was a skeleton-hybrid like himself, but with digitigrade legs, large, pointed teeth, and the notched ears of a wolf. He moved with chilling grace as he reached out, slipped a clawed finger between Blueberry’s trapped ear and the net, and gently un-pinched it. Blueberry whimpered quietly, ear stinging a little as it sprang into its natural position, then immediately pinned itself flat to his skull.

“P-p-please…” he stammered, shying away as the wolf ran a hand over his ribs. “I d-didn’t know this was your garden! I didn’t mean…”

“My garden? This is not MY garden,” the wolf snorted, poking him in the midsection. “Tsk! You’ve not been keeping yourself fed. Is winter always this hard on you?”

Blueberry flushed, torn between retorting that he was _fine_ and that _everyone_ lost a little weight through the winter, and begging to be let go because he wasn’t plump enough to bother with. The two arguments completely froze inside his throat as the wolf leaned forward and deliberately licked the side of his face. Steam rose off his cheek. Blueberry stared in shocked disbelief at the wolf licked his teeth with a cobalt-blue tongue.

“So sweet,” he sighed blissfully. “Like sugar.”

He tugged on something over Blueberry’s head. Blueberry squealed as the net dropped out from under his body, dumping him into the snow. He staggered to his feet, then tumbled onto his back as the wolf pounced on him.

“Shhh, don’t struggle,” he said soothingly. “I’ve got you now.”

“N-no,” Blueberry gasped, clawing at the snow. The wolf towered over him, easily three times his weight and size as it pinned him down with one hand. A sweet, earthy smell rolled off of his body and homespun clothes, like sunlit blackberry bushes in the summer. “Let me go. LET ME GO! LET ME GO!! HELP! HELMMMPH!” 

“SILENCE,” the wolf breathed, clapping a hand over his mouth with a dark grin. “Little snacks should be seen…” he reached down and dug his fingers into Blueberry’s left boot. “And not heard.”

He looked down, ripped off Blueberry's boot and tossed it aside. Blueberry wrenched himself free and bolted for the trees. He’d barely made it two steps before a massive hand batted him to the ground, tore off his other boot, and dug its claws into his shirt. Without thinking, he wiggled out of it and staggered to his feet, gasping for breath as shockingly cold snow pushed up between his metatarsals. The wolf laughed, and a single claw snagged one of his pant legs. Furious and terrified, Blueberry tore his leg away, spun around, bared his teeth, and screamed. The wolf paused, staring at him in mild surprise.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” he shrieked, curling his hands into fists.

“ _Feisty_ little thing,” the wolf breathed, slowly unwrapping a strip of rawhide from around his wrist. He feinted forward, then laughed as Blueberry stumbled backward, suddenly painfully aware that he was wearing nothing but his gloves, trousers and bandanna. “But I thought I told you to be SILENT.”

Blue shrieked as the wolf lunged forward and knocked him to the ground. Frantic, he flipped over and tried to crawl away. The wolf threw him back to the ground, quickly capturing both of his hands and dragging them behind his back.

“Please… _please…_ ” Blue choked, trembling as his wrists were bound tightly together. He cried out as his pants were torn off, leaving his body bared to the snow. 

“Shhhh,” the wolf murmured, running a hand down his back. “I’ve got you now. You’re mine...”

That phrase was no less unnerving than the first time he had heard it. Blueberry sobbed, putting up no further resistance as the wolf bent his left leg and bound his ankle to his femur. He repeated the tie on his right leg, then hauled him upright, setting him on his knees in the snow. He cringed and gritted his teeth, eyes squeezed shut as he braced himself to be torn apart… 

“That’s much better,” the wolf murmured to him, running a finger softly over his pinned ears. “Don’t cry little bunny, I’m not going to hurt you.”

Blueberry SEVERELY doubted that, but his throat was too tight to say so. The wolf must have taken his silence for compliance though, because the next thing he knew, a pair of large, rough hands had slipped beneath his arms and lifted him into the air. Blueberry snapped his eyes open, looking down just in time to see that he was being lowered into a large, canvas sack.

“MMMNGH!” shrieked another bunny, who was already inside. Blueberry yelped, senses momentarily overwhelmed by the warm, syrupy smell of cherry as the wolf dropped him inside.

"Nn-gnnnk?!" the other bunny spluttered, squirming as Blueberry was shoved up against him. The back of his skull pressed stickily into Blueberry's face. It tasted like sweet cherries.

The sack jolted, then began to bump back and forth as the wolf picked it up and began to run. Blueberry tensed up his shoulders in vain attempt to keep his body from repeatedly smacking into his fellow captive, but there wasn't much he could do with his legs forcibly bent backward and his wrists tied. It was uncomfortable, and the closeness was jarring and invasive, but he still found himself praying that this trip would take hours, maybe even the rest of the day. If it took long enough, then the wolf would need a nap once they arrived, and if he fell asleep…

“Welcome to my den,” the wolf said warmly, voice muffled through the sack. Blueberry yelped as he was placed on the floor, knocking the other bunny on top of him hard enough to bruise. Before he could wiggle into a more comfortable position, the wolf opened the top, hauled him out by one arm, and sat him on a thick, gingham quilt that had been spread over the floor. 

“There. Is that better?” He asked sweetly.

Trembling and so scared that he could barely breathe, Blueberry shakily looked up. The wolf grinned wickedly at him, then opened a wood stove and deftly tossed a few logs inside. The fire radiated welcome heat across the room, quickly melting the snow that had been ground into Blueberry’s joints during the struggle. It dripped down his body like cold, tingling fingers as he looked around, forcing himself to breathe normally. They were inside a large, single room that looked as though it had been constructed partially inside a cave. Wood slats paneled two of the walls, leaving bare stone exposed on the third and fourth. Everything was lit by an oil lamp hanging from the ceiling, which threw the wolf’s hulking shadow across the wall as he closed the stove and fastidiously brushed off his hands. 

“MMMNGH! NNNGH-HNNGH!” the other bunny shrieked from inside the sack. Grinning nastily, the wolf walked back over and dumped him out next to Blueberry. The bunny squealed indignantly, flailing on the quilt as he struggled to right himself. Like Blue, his hands were bound behind his back, and his ankles were bound up to his femurs. Additionally, a thick wad of cloth had been crammed between his teeth and tied in place, garbling a stream of what were still impressively distinctive swear words.

“Oh, _Spice_! You’re setting a bad example for Sugar,” the wolf scolded, playfully running a clawed finger over the red bunny’s ears. Spice jerked away from him with a snarl, eyes flashing as the wolf chuckled darkly. Blueberry stared at them in horror, taking in the cracks and scrapes covering Spice’s face and arms, the deep bite wound in his shoulder smeared with blood-red magic, and the wolf’s almost eerie lack of anger. Spice was so banged up…

“If you’re going to keep misbehaving, then **I’ll** show him how it’s done,” the wolf breathed. Spice threw his shoulder back, but he wasn’t fast enough to avoid the wolf’s grip as he snatched his arm, hauled him forward, and forced him to straddle his lap. Spice yowled in angry protest, flinching away as the wolf slowly licked a stripe up the side of his face. 

“No more fighting. You’re mine now. And I take care of things that are mine,” the wolf sighed, nudging Spice’s chin up and nipping at his cervical vertebrae. Spice moaned softly, chest heaving as the wolf palmed the front of his pelvis, covering the entire area with his massive hand. He stroked and squeezed at the delicate bones until Spice was squirming, swearing reduced to wet, incoherent gasping, and face flushed a deep, sweaty crimson. It wasn’t long before magic collected over his spine, pushing outward over his pelvic inlet and mid-section in a beautiful, scarlet ectobody, still generously plump in spite of the season. Without pausing, the wolf slipped his thumb between the lips of his pussy, drawing it back and forth a few times before slowly pushing it inside.

“That’s my good boy,” the wolf breathed as Spice arched backward with a weak cry. “Let me hear you sing.”

He untied the gag and gently worked it free. Spice gasped for breath, saliva dripping down his chin.

“F-fuck you-“ he gasped, then squeaked as the wolf coldly swatted him to the floor, placed a hand on his neck, and bit down on one of his bound legs. Spice screamed, spine twisting in pain as the wolf jerked backward, separating his leg from its socket with a wet pop. The ectoflesh thigh pulled away with it, separating in gooey, elastic strands that tore wetly apart. Red magic dripped from the wound as the wolf tossed his head back and swallowed the leg whole, leaving Spice trembling and mewling in pain on the floor.

“MANNERS,” the wolf breathed, licking his teeth with a nasty grin. “If you aren’t going to be polite, then neither will I.”

“You…s-sick son of a-“ Spice began tremulously, voice breaking into a shriek as the wolf pushed his tongue into his open hip joint and roughly licked up the spilled magic. 

“AHHHH-haaahhhhh…” Spice groaned, scream tapering off as the wolf’s tongue wandered sideways and slipped hungrily over his pussy.

“My sweet, Spiced Cherry,” he purred as Spice gasped brokenly. “You taste so good when you’re wrecked.”

Spice sucked in a breath as the wolf dragged him back onto his lap and unbuckled his belt. He pulled a dark, blue cock out of his pants, then rubbed it lightly over Spice’s dripping entrance a few times. Spice’s breath hitched, hips twitching and body trembling as he stared at it with a desperate expression. 

“Ohhhhh…” He keened softly as the wolf lifted him up, pressed the head of his cock into place, and dropped him, letting his own weight drag him down over the thick shaft. He gurgled wordlessly, sinking until the lips of his pussy were pressed against the fist-sized knot at the base of the wolf’s cock. For a terrifying second, Blue was sure that the wolf was going to force it in. Instead, he tipped Spice’s face back, pressed a deep, invasive kiss between his teeth, and gently began to bounce. Spice arched into his chest with a tiny whimper, ribs fluttering as the motion shallowly pumped the cock in and out of his pussy. The wolf licked and nibbled at his face, tongue flicking into his eyesockets and into his open mouth with patient hunger. It wasn’t long before Spice tensed up with a low moan, hips bucking forward and ectobody rippling beneath the wolf’s fingers as he came.

“Good boy,” the wolf crooned. Hands shaking and patience forgotten, he dragged Spice off of his cock, wrapped both hands around his shoulders, and closed his jaws around his head. Blue whimpered, sure that this was some other form of sexual torture when the wolf swallowed, drawing him deeper into his throat. 

“NO!” Blueberry screamed, lurching forward as the wolf’s throat distended, squeezing around Spice’s body as he slid head-first into the wolf’s belly. “No...o-oh… _oh_ _stars…_ ”

“Ahhhhh,” the wolf sighed deeply as Blue sobbed in terror. He leaned back, cock bobbing between his legs as he leisurely pushed himself upright. Tenderly, he reached out, brushed away Blueberry’s tears with his thumb, then unbuttoned his shirt. “Shhhh. Don’t cry, it’s all right. You see?” he said, placing a hand beneath his belly. It was the same dark, translucent blue as his tongue. Spice’s form was vaguely visible inside, ineffectively writhing against the flesh pressing down on him from all sides. Blue watched him with urgent horror, silently begging him to fight, to somehow save himself...

Tears began to pour down Blue’s face as Spice’s body fell still, then visibly went slack. 

“A peaceful surrender to the inevitable” the wolf said fondly, voice sounding distant and oddly faint as Blueberry stared fixedly at Spice’s lifeless body. “Come here little one.”

Blue couldn’t have complied if he’d wanted to, but the wolf didn’t seem to mind. He tenderly pulled him a little closer, then licked the tears off of his cheeks with a deep sigh. Blue could barely feel it as the memory of Spice’s trapped, lifeless body played in his mind, over, and over, and over… 

“Open,” the wolf murmured, running his thumb over Blue’s closed teeth. Blue numbly complied, then spluttered as the wolf pressed the tip of his still-swollen cock between them.

“Use your tongue, that’s right…” the wolf groaned, wrapping a hand around his knot. Blueberry choked, unable to brace himself as the wolf gripped the back of his head, tilted his face upward and thrust forward.

“Not all the way,” the wolf gasped, stopping once the shaft was about halfway in. His restraint made it a much more manageable mouthful than if the entire thing, knot and all, had been crammed down his throat, but it was still a stretch. Gasping for breath, Blueberry pushed his tongue against the intrusion, tasting Spice’s warm cherry and something earthy and tart as he half-consciously tried to spit it out. The wolf shuddered, then began thrusting into his mouth. He was gentle and measured at first, but the pace quickly grew rougher and less considerate. Blueberry squeezed his eyes shut, letting his body go slack as his face was used. It felt as though an eternity had passed before the cock finally twitched in his mouth, and then the warm taste of cherries spurted over his tongue. He spluttered, trying to jerk his head backward. The wolf easily held him in place.

"Swallow, or it will force itself out through your nose," the wolf panted. Blueberry spluttered, forcing himself to swallow as the sheer volume of fluid threatened to choke him. His body immediately warmed as the magic slid down his throat, quieting the low buzz of anxiety that he had been carrying even before he had been driven to trek halfway across the forest in the snow to scavenge an abandoned garden for food. In spite of everything, it was an exquisite relief to be dragged back from the verge of starvation.

“Mmng-gkk,” he gurgled, shuddering as his ectobody eagerly filled out his tummy in an automatic bid to hold onto the unexpected bounty. He took a quick, noisy breath through his nose, forcing his mind to go blank as he continued to swallow.

“Good…boy…” the wolf sighed, sounding deeply satisfied as the surge of magic finally tapered off, and stopped. He rubbed the back of Blueberry’s head, looking down at him fondly. “There now. That looks much better.”

He drew a fingertip down the front of Blueberry’s tummy. It tickled and Blueberry flinched, breathing hard through his nose as the wolf’s cock twitched a few times and began to soften. He gave his head a final rub, then pulled his cock out of his mouth with a wet pop. Blueberry coughed, feeling lightheaded as he stared down at himself in numb disbelief. His tummy was slightly distended, and a dark, purple blotch was visible inside. Purple…but the wolf’s magic was blue. And the taste…

Blueberry stared at the floor as a wet streamer of magic dripped from his chin onto his femurs. It made a vivid, blood-red streak against the ivory bone. Cherries…not blackberry. The taste, the colour, and even the smell. It was all wrong.

This was _Spice’s_ magic

“And now it’s my turn,” the wolf purred. Blue threw himself backward, screaming as the wolf snatched up his shoulders and shoved him head-first down his throat. Hot, sticky saliva forced itself into every joint in his body, and alarmingly strong bands of muscle squeezed down on him from every direction. He panicked, drowning in an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia as he slid downward, vision filled with distorted, dark blue shapes. Something hard rubbed slickly over his skull, and then his body squirted down next to Spice. He quickly settled tightly against him, cheek to cheek, sternum to sternum. Straining, he thrashed against the wolf’s stomach and the rawhide bindings around his wrists, ankles, and femurs. The muscular walls squeezed him so tightly that even the slightest movement took a terrifying amount of effort, dazing him with sheer futility that escape from this final, horrible situation would be. Limbs burning, he shuddered with muffled sobs, staring dazedly at Spice’s face as he hopelessly fell limp. His forehead was pressed against Spice's cheek, and the other bunny's expression was impossible to make out. Even so, Blueberry could see his eyelights, blown out to the size of half dollars and still glowing dimly behind half-closed eyelids. Blue didn’t have long to think about it before a wave of exhaustion surged through him, sapping his strength and leaving his body feeling loose and absurdly light. He whimpered, vision darkening around the edges to narrow in on Spice’s eyelights, as if the entire world were closing down on him...

===

“Fucking _sadist.”_

Blue groaned, shivering uncontrollably as he drew his knees up to his chest. He was wet, deeply cold, and so hungry that his entire midsection was cramped with horrible, aching emptiness. Shakily, he turned his head, cringing as his cheek dug a shallow divot in the snow. Spice was lying on his side nearby, fumbling with the humeral head of his dislocated leg. Cursing under his breath, he lined up the joint with its socket, cringed, and shoved them together.

“OWWWW!” he howled, curling over his damaged leg as it snapped back into place with a loud, moist pop. “God FUCKING FUCK IT.”

He hobbled to his feet and took couple of steps, wincing every time his freshly re-attached leg touched the ground. “Nngh! Ah. _Fuck._ I…I am gonna KILL…that BASTARD. This is gonna be sore for a FUCKING WEEK…”

Blueberry rolled onto his knees with a pained whimper, clutching his midsection. Spice immediately hobbled over, tone softening from a grating snarl to a soothing murmur. 

“Hey now, take it easy. How do you feel sweetheart?” 

Blueberry’s jaw trembled, and he burst into full, wracking sobs, eyes burning with tears that his body was too starved to produce. Spice growled and pulled him into a tight hug, rubbing his back in a way that was so, desperately NICE that it only made him cry harder.

“Heeyyyy, it’s ok. Shhhh, it’s just magic drain and prey-drop talking. Let’s go get you some food…”

“I t-t-thought we were DEAD. He ATE us,” Blueberry stammered, hiccuping at that last memory of crushing pressure, hopelessness, and then his _life_ just…just FADING…

“He sure did, ugly bastard,” Spice growled. “He’s not like other wolves. We’ve got, uh…a kinda arrangement? But he’s still an idiot, and a wolf. Asking your prey before eating them isn’t exactly taught in wolf school. I did finally beat the ‘don’t straight up kill your prey’ message into his pointed skull, though.”

Spice gave the woods a dirty look. “He should know better than to pull shit like this, but I’ll explain more in a bit. You hungry?”

Blueberry nodded tearfully, and Spice sighed. “All right, let’s go back to my place and get some food in you…there you go, up you get. Just lean on me…”

===

The wolf crept beneath a thicket of leafless blackberry vines, peering out between the dead branches as Spice comforted the weaker bunny. Strange, this desire to soothe and calm others. Coddling another being would only leave them softer, and less fit for survival. He would have thought it pointless, and yet, he found himself strangely fascinated. Soothing upset prey was something he was familiar with. The idea that he could do it so well that one might be willing to…to cuddle? Or even be around afterward? It was…

He stopped thinking about it.

The bunnies began to walk up the path. Diligently, the wolf kept pace, shadowing the two until they had entered a burrow with a round, wooden door. Once they were safely inside, he padded up to the doorstep, placed a burlap sack containing the bunny’s clothes and a handful of monster candies in front of the door, and stood back. That done, he impulsively drew his hand back to knock on the door, and hesitated. He stood there for a long moment, frozen in place, before growling under his breath and angrily nudging the sack a little closer to the door. Obligations complete, he turned on his heel and ran back into the forest, silently cursing these soft, pitiful bunnies and their dangerously compelling customs.


	2. To Belong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue and Cherry are living peacefully together in the wolf's forest. A group of unexpected visitors threatens to end that peace forever.
> 
> Warnings include: noncon, elements of vore, broken bones, kinkshaming, references to past abuse/noncon, rape recovery, hunting, predator/prey, kemonomimi skeletons (bunnies just ears and tail, the wolves have digitigrade back legs, ears and a tail)
> 
> Other tags include: slowburn CherryBerry, Underfell Sans (Cherry), Underswap Sans, (Blue/Blueberry), Wolf!Sans (Bramble) and other various wolves

Red-throated penstemon were blooming in the front yard. Blueberry watched from the window as a humming bird thrust its beak into a trumpet-shaped flower, withdrew, darted left, and dipped into another with fantastic precision. Its wings were a smear of motion, and the whispered buzz they made was as distinctive as the smell of spring air. It was so quick! So graceful.

“Blue! Where the fu- heck did you hide my shoes?!”

The hummingbird zipped off and Blue pinned his ears back in exasperation.

“I did not HIDE them, I WASHED them. They were filthy!”

Cherry appeared in the hallway behind him, skeletal toes peeking out of holes in the ends of his socks. Blue stared down at them, exasperation boiling over into playful outrage.

“I fixed FIVE pairs of your socks yesterday! WHY AREN’T YOU WEARING THEM?”

“Uhhh...can’t find ‘em?” Cherry offered. A shit-eating grin snuck across his face, but he quickly quelled it beneath a theatrical scowl. So that’s how it was, huh? Unwilling to endure such blatant sass, Blue planted his hands on his hips.

“You can’t find ANY of them?! Did you check the dresser??”

“The dresser? Why the heck would they be in there?” Cherry giggled, losing the battle to control his expression.

“Because that’s where CIVILIZED people store their clothing, you boneheaded savage.” Blue triumphantly scolded, holding out his hand. “Now give me those poor things before you traumatise them any further.”

Cherry guffawed and stripped the socks off. “Thank you, Mom.”

“You do know that you can just ask me to fix your socks, right? I LIKE sewing,” Blue asked in a more serious tone, tucking them into his pocket for later.

“Nah. Getting you all riled over my clothes is too fun.”

“Well, as long as it gets you to bring them to me instead of abandoning the poor things in a pile, you monster.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m a serial sock abuser,” he snickered, taking a clean, freshly repaired pair of socks out of his pocket that he had EVIDENTLY been able to find. “You wanna come foraging?

“You…” Blue sighed, letting the playful argument go. “You know what? Sure. I could use some exercise.”

“Sweet. We’ll hit up the meadow pond then. See if we can dig up some more cattails,” Cherry grinned, tossing him a framed backpack. “You ready?”

  
  


The path had dried out a little since the last rain. By stepping carefully, Blue was able to avoid the worst of the mud puddles and soggy ground. Cherry tromped right through it all, careless of the way his shoes and lower legs were rapidly becoming a streaky, earth-coloured mess. Blue made a mental note to dump a bucket of water over his head before letting him back in the FRESHLY SCRUBBED house, then ignored him and reflexively scanned the woods for anything unusual. The sight of fresh wolf prints startled him, but the surprise quickly faded into dull annoyance. There were ALWAYS wolf prints around the house. He didn’t like that he was getting used to seeing them. 

They walked in silence for a while. Blue dragged his phalanges over the waist-high grass, smiling as the long, slender stalks tickled the spaces between his fingers. This place looked so much prettier in the spring, with everything so green and alive. He’d been living here with Cherry for...goodness, about four months now? When, exactly, had he’d made the decision to stay...? He couldn’t remember. Cherry had just been so kind to him after...afterwards. Before he knew it, the forest had started to feel like home.

_ Even if HE still lurked around the house. Even if his insidious traps were everywhere. Even if Cherry still disappeared once a week or so, then came back exhausted and covered in terrible bite marks and slime... _

Blue plucked a dandelion growing beside the path and twirled it between his fingers, pushing his darker thoughts away by admiring the flower’s rich, sunny petals. With a smirk, he snuck up behind Cherry, nonchalantly threaded its stem into his hoodie, then stepped back and suppressed a snigger. The flower was peeking out of the fabric like a tiny, cheerful face. One could almost hear it saying ‘Hello world! Today I’m going on an adventure!’

“Gotta shortcut coming up here,” Cherry offered, oblivious to his new traveling companion.

“Awwww! But it’s such a nice day!” Blue complained, skipping forward a step to walk beside him.

“It’ll still be a nice day if we shortcut,” Cherry drawled.

“But walking is GOOD for you, lazybones,” Blue said primly. He jumped up onto the remnant of a stone wall and hopped between the broken stones, imagining that he was a hummingbird darting between flowers. “Teleporting just means you miss out on everything in the middle!”

“Everything in the middle? You mean like all this goddamn mud?” Cherry grumbled, trudging right through another mud puddle. “C’mon Blue! Walking’s just making my nice, new, sewed-up socks all wet.”

“It might help to  _ avoid  _ the puddles?” Blue offered. Cherry gave him a grouchy look, and Blue sighed loudly. “Fiiiiine. But just because I feel sorry for your socks!”

“My socks appreciate the gesture,” he said drily, then held out a hand. Blue hopped off the wall and slipped his fingers into Cherry’s. A little tingle warmed his arm at the gentle touch, and he caught himself staring at Cherry’s knuckles with a blushy smile. He immediately looked away with a self-conscious grin, but he hadn’t seemed to notice.

“Hold on tight!” Cherry said cheerfully, leading him to the end of the broken wall. A shallow archway had been built into the stones, somehow still standing even though the rest of the structure had crumbled away. Cherry stepped through it, and Blue followed. Deep, cool pressure squeezed around every inch of his body, and his vision briefly went dark...

“Ugh! Why does it always feel so  _ cold _ ?!” Blue grimaced as he stepped out into the middle of a sun-dappled meadow. Quietly unnerved, he turned around to look back at the way they’d come. As expected, the archway was nowhere to be seen. A short distance away, past the edge of the meadow and almost lost to the shadows of the forest, was an ancient, hollow oak that Blue knew to avoid-

_ Because one of HIS traps was hiding there, beneath the branches... _

“There’s never an archway on the side we come out on?” Blue asked, scanning the forest uneasily.

“Umm...huh. Well, I guess there  _ could  _ be, if I took the shortcut to another arch or something. But I don’t have to,” Cherry mused, slipping his fingers out of Blue’s. “I just have to use one to start the shortcut. It can go pretty much anywhere from there.”

“But why wouldn’t they all connect?” Blue asked, half-convinced that if he looked long enough, he’d see one another archway or tunnel somewhere nearby.

“Not sure. Same reason they don’t they all connect in real life, I guess.”

And with that maddeningly unhelpful explanation, Cherry dropped his backpack and stretched with an appreciative groan. The pond was tucked up against the forest, and so thickly overgrown with cattails that it was almost impossible to get to the water. Blue had been helping Cherry dig it out over the past week or so. The starchy cattail roots were delicious, and the small amount of water that they’d managed to clear was already speckled with spicy watercress. Eager to continue the project, Blue began walking forward…

“Stop.”

Cherry’s tone was cold, harsh, and short. Blue froze, staring at him in shock.

“Something’s not right…”

A flicker of movement darted through the woods behind the pond. Cherry spun around and shoved him back toward the forest.

“ **RUN!** ” he screamed.

Blue ran. He ran blindly, dodging back and forth in reflexive zig-zags without thinking about where he was going, or what he was running from. He reached the edge of the forest in what felt like a millisecond, and whipped his head around to see what was after them.

Wolves. An entire pack of them were sprinting across the meadow. Shocked and murderously kicking himself for somehow not noticing them before, he sped across the ground. Distantly, he heard Cherry swear; his voice unintelligible around his own tortured gasps for breath. He wasn’t in as good a shape as Blue was, and the wolves were getting CLOSER oh no, oh no, oh NO! 

“This way!” he shouted, seizing Cherry’s hand and dragging him toward the hollow oak tree. Cherry wheezed, stumbling after him as the wolves rapidly closed in. Blue fixed his eyes on the bare patch of ground where he knew the trap had been set, praying that it was still there. He dragged Cherry beneath the branches, darted around the bare spot and kept running-

_ TWANG! _

A wolf screeched in rage, and a massive hand slammed into Blue’s back between his shoulder blades. He sprawled into the mud, then screamed when a set of hard fingers snatched his ankle and dragged him backward. He flipped over and kicked out-

“A fighter,” the wolf grinned, flicking the kick aside with ease.

“LET ME GO! LET ME GMMMMMPH!” Blue screamed. The wolf clapped a massive hand over his face and hauled him upright by the neck, manipulating him with the effortlessness of a child lifting a doll. Blue desperately clawed and kicked at her, renewed panic surging through his body when he saw Cherry pinned face-down to the ground beneath the paws of another wolf. 

“How strange,” the wolf holding Cherry murmured, glaring up at the tree. Terrified and shaking, Blue followed his gaze. A third wolf was dangling above them by a hind leg, swearing under his breath and struggling to free himself. His sharp, angry movements were cheerfully punctuated by the clear, darkly comical pealing of a silver bell. Blue closed his eyes and prayed,  _ prayed  _ that Cherry’s wolf would somehow hear it.

“Clever little snacks, aren’t they?” Cherry’s captor growled. “That sound will have warned any others who are nearby.”

“Tear its arms off. Make it scream. If they already know, then there is nothing lost by having some fun,” a fourth wolf leered from where he was crouched nearby. Blue stared at him, feeling distressing tiny as he realized that the wolf was easily eight or nine times his own size and weight. Like Cherry’s wolf, he wore dappled, brown homespun clothes that blended seamlessly into the forest. His body was that of a skeleton, with wolf’s ears and a tail. His digitigrade, clawed feet were bare. The only noticeable difference between him and Cherry’s wolf was the heavy, leather collar around his neck.

“Look at how it stares at me. Such impudence,” he sneered, rising threateningly to his feet.

“Be still. We will get to that in a moment,” Blue’s captor purred, claws tightening as Blue flinched backward. “Go stop that wretched bell from ringing, and then we will proceede.”

“Yes Alpha,” he grumbled, leaping obediently over to the tree. Alpha brushed a thumb along the line of Blue’s jaw, lingering on the vulnerable underside of his chin.

“MMMNGH! NNNGH!” he choked, as she licked his face again, clawing at her hands and twisting violently in her grip.

“Hold still little one,” she cooed, digging her claws warningly into his face and neck. Blue immediately froze, trembling with helpless terror. “That’s it. Accept your defeat. You are OURS now.”

“How very strange...”

Cherry’s captor hooked a finger into the collar of Cherry’s shirt, then tore it open, earning an angry squawk and a vicious glare from his captive. He tossed the ruined fabric aside, revealing dozens of scarred bite-marks engraved into Cherry’s scapula, upper arms, and ribs. Some were vivid and recent, others were old and fully healed.

“This one has been hunted before. Many times,” he noted, dragging a finger along some of the older marks. 

“Yeah, and the wolves who tried it are DEAD, so you’d better FUCK OFF!” Cherry snapped, spitting out mud and squirming under his touch.

“Very strange...” Alpha agreed.

Behind them, the other wolf finally managed to release his companion. He fell to the ground with a heavy thud and an infuriated yelp. A second later, the bell hit his shoulder with a perky jingle. He flicked the rope away and slowly stood, fingers closing around the silver bell with an intense, seething outrage.

“What kind of prey makes traps for PREDATORS?” he snarled, clenching his fist around the bell. It crumpled in his hand like an old tin can, and he threw it to the side. It hit the tree trunk with a sad, hollow clunk.

“The kind who are too smart for their own good,” Alpha replied softly, then shoved Blue forward. 

“Ah!” he cried out, landing heavily and falling to his hands and knees. Sinew lunged forward and slammed him to the ground, then pinned his head beneath a clawed hand.

“AHHHHHHHH!” Blue screamed as teeth sank into his upper arm. White-hot pain and a horrible, wet snap resonated through his shoulder. His fingers went sickeningly numb, and began to throb with awful, unbearable pain. Blue sobbed helplessly, absolutely certain that he was about to die-

A blur of motion appeared above him, and Sinew let out a startled cry. He went flying into the trunk of the oak tree where he crumpled with a snarl of pain. Blue sucked in a tortured breath, in too much pain to move as a sixth, deeply familiar wolf stepped over him.

“ _ BRAMBLE,”  _ one of the wolves hissed.

The pack leapt forward. In the blink of an eye, Bramble slammed another of them into the tree trunk and sent a second sprawling into the mud. They leapt to their feet and backed off, huddling around Alpha with their ears pinned flat and tails curling between their legs.

“You are trespassing. Get out,” Bramble spat. Cherry had fallen to the ground, unnoticed in the confusion. Bramble grabbed him by the ankle, and dragged him out of danger. Cherry immediately crawled over to Blue and cowered there, eyelights contracted to tiny, terrified pinpricks.

“You are no wolf,” Sinew snarled.

“This is my territory and you WILL respect it,” Bramble spat.

“Driving us off a kill? Is that wise?” Alpha asked softly. “They are plump with magic. There's enough to go around. Surely there is something we both want here…”

Bramble stared at Alpha silently. She smiled darkly, took half a step forward. “How long have you been without mates? When was the last time you hunted with  _ a pack _ …”

“He is not PACK,” Sinew snarled. Alpha fixed him with a smoldering glare, and he sullenly fell silent.

“They would make a fine offering. And with your skill…” she gestured to the sprung trap, and the crumpled, silver bell. “Imagine what hunts we could have…””

“No.”

Alpha looked surprised, then unsure. “You…”

“The little ones are pack,” Bramble said softly. “And you are  _ trespassing _ .”

Alpha took a step back, expression flickering somewhere between deeply confused, and offended. “I...did not hear you correctly,” she gasped.

Without breaking eye contact, Bramble drew a heavy, leather band out of his pocket and held it up threateningly.

“Spice. Come here,” he commanded. Cherry immediately scrambled over, and Bramble shoved him to his knees, forced his chin up, and cinched the leather band tight around his neck.

“DISGUSTING…” one of the wolves gasped. The others made similar, outraged and revolted noises as Bramble gently tipped Blue’s chin up, slipped a second collar around his neck, and buckled it tightly around his cervicals. Blue touched it weakly, distantly aware of it’s earthy smell and heavy, supple weight. They looked just like the ones that the other wolves of Alpha’s pack were wearing, only smaller…

“You disgrace our people,” Alpha seethed. “You spit on everything that we are.”

“THEY ARE PACK,” Bramble bellowed. “An assault on them is an assault on me. AND YOU ARE TRESPASSING. ON.  **OUR. TERRITORY!** ”

Bramble threateningly feinted forward. Alpha stumbled back with an expression so intensely enraged that Blue was sure she was about to leap onto Bramble and tear his throat out. Instead she stood there, unmoving with the three members of her pack behind her. There was a long, intense silence.

“Enough. We will leave you to your prey-fucking, you preverted freak,” Alpha finally spat, taking another step back without breaking eye contact. “Remain alone.”

As one, she and the other wolves turned and sprinted off, quickly disappearing into the forest.

There was another long, profoundly silent moment. Then Bramble slowly stood and walked over to his sprung trap, shoulders slumped and ears pinned flat. He picked up the crumpled bell, then shivered, and folded his arms tightly across his chest.

“The collars...will help if they come back. They will hesitate,” he said, so softly that Blue almost couldn’t hear him. “But you do not...you don’t have to leave them on. If you don’t want to.”

And with that he turned and darted away.

“C’mon, we need to get that shoulder cleaned up,” Cherry muttered, tugging on Blue’s hand as he stared at the place where Bramble had vanished. “Leave that alone for now, there you go…”

“Huh? Oh…” Blue realized that his fingers were hooked into the collar. He let it go, then allowed Cherry to haul him to his feet.

“Ah!” he cried out, almost falling over again as stabbing pain shot through his chest and shoulder. Cherry steadied him with a worried grimace.

“Easy now, take it slow. Heh. H-hope you don’t mind a shortcut home. We’re taking the lazy way, and not just for my socks!” he joked weakly. Blue returned the feeble joke with a watery smile, then fell to his knees and dissolved into heavy, wracking sobs.


	3. Some Extra Spice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cherry and Bramble have a little fun, and Cherry gets a new houseguest.
> 
> Warnings include hard vore, dismemberment, overstimulation, noncon, outdoor sex, kidnapping, and Bramble not having the best grasp on consent in general in an intentionally troubling way.
> 
> Other tags include aftercare, bondage, kemonomimi bunnies, predator/prey, and undertail au

“ _Once I knew a wolf who was suppos’ta to be so smart_ ,” Cherry sang, tossing a fist-sized rock into the air with one hand. “ _It’s just too bad bee-cause his traps keep falling right apart_.”

Sniggering at his own, terrible rhyme, he threw the rock at a suspiciously smooth patch of the trail in front of him, which he had definitely NOT almost stepped on.

_TWANG!_

A net shot up into the air, much more quickly than it’s maker had intended. It ripped through the tree that supported it, sending a flurry of torn leaves raining to the ground before jerking to a stop on a broken branch. Something snapped, and then an enormous, crudely shaped boulder that had served as the trap’s counterweight came crashing out of the tree and landed on the path with a resounding, and deeply satisfying thud.

“Whoops!”

Face plastered with a shit-eating grin, Cherry sauntered up to the boulder, stripping off his clothes and discarding them carelessly on the ground as he walked. He kicked off his shoes, draped himself seductively across the boulder, and turned his face into the springtime sun to wait...

“Was that entirely necessary?”

Cherry opened his eyes, pulse pounding as he grinned up at Bramble’s quietly exasperated face.

“Ohhh no! You caught me!” He exclaimed.

“I most certainly did not.”

“The Big Bad Wolf has come to take my defenseless, virgin body. Whatever shall I doooo...” Cherry swooned, fanning himself with one hand.

“I doubt that you were ever a virgin.”

“This is surely the end for my juicy, nubile ass…”

“Your nubile ass has until the count of three to start running. One.”

Cherry sprang off the boulder, twisting just in time to avoid being snagged by Bramble’s claws. Panting hard and trembling from the raw, primal excitement of _daring_ to provoke a predator five times his size, he scrambled for a thicket where his smaller stature would be an advantage. He reached the edge and triumphantly sprang forward-

“Akk!” he yelped, face-planting into a pile of dry leaves as something whipped across his ankles. Gasping for breath, he looked down at his legs, belatedly spotting a strand of fishing line strung tightly between two trees at perfect tripping-height.

“ _Predictable_ ,” Bramble breathed in his ear.

A set of fingers wrapped around his ankle and hauled him backward. Snarling, Cherry flipped over, lunged for Bramble’s arm and sank his teeth into the wolf's wrist-

“Manners!” Bramble tutted, threading his fingers around the base of Cherry’s ears and forcing his head back before he could do more than lightly gouge the bone. “What a naughty little thing you’re being today. Breaking my traps, biting me like a savage...”

Cherry inhaled sharply as Bramble ran a finger down the newly-exposed front of his throat, trailing down the front of his sternum and lightly tracing the lower curve of his ribs. Slowly, he forced his hands to drop back down to his sides in surrender, glaring petulantly up at his captor.

“That’s it. Now settle down, and give me what I want.”

With a soft whimper, Cherry allowed his ectobody to form, filling out his pelvis, mid-section and thighs with smooth, scarlet flesh. The wolf purred appreciatively, releasing his ears to stroke the front of his tummy before cupping the space between his legs and dragging him backward to straddle his lap. The position forced his legs apart in a generously wide spread, parting his labia ever-so-slightly in a way that felt blatantly inviting, especially out here, where _anyone_ might wander by and see.

“Much better. Now tell me, did you break my trap on purpose?”

“Hhh! I would ne-ehhver,” Cherry moaned, intensely aware of the cool air curling over his exposed pussy. Bramble made a displeased sound, then seized his left wrist and twisted it behind his back.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“Haaaaa!” Cherry yelped, eyesockets widening as Bramble wrenched his arm upward at an angle that put a chilling amount of pressure on his shoulder joint.

“Did you do it on purpose?”

“HHH! N-no!”

“Wrong answer.”

Bramble shoved his arm inward, dislocating it at the shoulder with a wet, resonant pop. Cherry screamed, spine arching as a flash of blinding pain speared down his side. His entire arm fell numb, and a thrillingly intense ache spread across his left collarbone and halfway down his ribs. Gently, Bramble lifted his unresponsive arm away, eyeing the limb with quiet fascination for a moment before turning back to Cherry with a hungry leer.

“Ghh-HHHH!” Cherry flinched as Bramble pressed his tongue into his open shoulder socket, laving over the blisteringly sensitive inner surfaces with hot, wet pressure. The stimulation rushed down his side in a wave of light flutters, curling needily across the space between his legs until his entire pelvic inlet felt tight and swollen. 

“You’re as spicy as ever, little liar,” Bramble sighed, gently nuzzling the side of his face. After a moment, he pulled away and swallowed Cherry's loose arm, as easily as though he were simply tucking the limb away for safe-keeping. Once it had vanished down his throat, he grinned, then calmly drew Cherry's other arm behind his back.

“That one was for the lie. This one is for my trap,” he purred, gently rubbing Cherry’s intact shoulder. “And you’re going to take it like a polite little snack...”

“AHHH!” Cherry yelped, trembling openly as Bramble wrenched his arm into position. His entire side tingled with intense anticipation, torn between bracing for the pain and submitting itself to the inevitable.

“Don’t struggle.”

Cherry screamed earnest, throwing his head backward into Bramble’s chest. The pain surged into a wave of warm euphoria, blurring his vision and making his ears ring. It overwhelmed every corner of his mind, leaving behind nothing but pure, immediate sensation. So much, so much, _so much..._

Slowly, he became aware of the forest swaying around him, of the way his body was shaking like a dry leaf in a storm. Of Bramble’s arms, folded around his chest in a tight hug and enveloping him with his tart, earthy scent. A large hand rubbed slow, soothing circles into his sternum, easing him back down from the high.

“Good boy. You’re such a good, good boy,” Bramble murmured, nuzzling against the side of his neck. “That’s my sweet, spiced Cherry.”

Cherry keened as Bramble pressed his tongue into the open socket at his right shoulder, disturbing the scarlet magic that had gathered angrily over the dislocated bones. His entire upper body throbbed, matching the urgent heat and pressure coiled over his pelvic inlet. Slick fluid had seeped onto Bramble’s knees and cooled on his thighs and slightly parted labia. His entire body felt light, eerily off-balance, and _profoundly_ vulnerable. 

“Nnn…” He flinched when Bramble shifted beneath him, instinctively trying to throw out his missing arms for balance and crying out when they didn’t respond.

“Shhhh, I’ve got you.”

Breathing heavily, Bramble brushed his claws lightly over Cherry’s pubis before pushing his fingers between his legs and thrusting them inside. Cherry groaned wantonly, rocking his hips as the fingers spread him wide, curling against his inner walls and brushing over his swollen, oversensitive clit with each stroke. His breath quickly roughened into sharp, noisy gasps, head arched back into Bramble's chest and eyes tightly shut.

"Ahhhngh!" he finally moaned, body jerking as his pussy squeezed rhythmically around Bramble’s fingers and weightless warmth diffused through his body.

“That’s my sweet, spiced Cherry,” Bramble purred again, drawing the orgasm into a series of gentle aftershocks. Lightly, almost reverently, he licked Cherry’s cheek. “Are you ready?”

Cherry nodded mutely, and Bramble pressed his skull into his mouth and swallowed. Cherry tensed, instinctively fighting the profoundly unnatural act as wet heat and heavy, smothering pressure curled around him, invading every joint and orifice n his body. It lasted for barely a second before fading, and he peacefully slipped into Bramble's stomach, head-downward and legs extended. Surrender always came more quickly when his hands were tied behind his back. Being swallowed without his arms _at all_ was several times more intense. Poor Blue. When Bramble dropped him off, he was going to need an extra hand (heh) to get his arms reattached and Blue _hated_ seeing shit like that... 

Dimly, he saw Bramble press a hand over the outside of his stomach and stroke around the outline of his face. Cherry smiled, and distantly tried to return the gesture with a hand that was no longer attached to his body. His vision faded into indistinct shades of dark purple, body warmed by the unusual gesture of care...

===

Cherry jerked weakly, then coughed, hacking up a mouthful of thick, sticky slime before curling into a ball with a low groan. The crash after a mixed adrenaline and dopamine high of getting fucked and eaten always hit him hard, but this time was especially bad. It was cold, he was starving, and goddammit it was DARK. He was a fucking idiot for letting Bramble do this to him. Hell, for SEEKING HIM OUT and getting himself shit-faced AGAIN-

“Cherry?”

A hand brushed lightly down the center of his back. Groggily, Cherry turned his head, angry thoughts quieting as he looked up into Bramble’s large, cautiously concerned face.

“You’s still here?” he slurred, trying to push himself upright. The attempt met with a weak, aborted twitch that just awkwardly dragged his face across the wooden floor. Oh right. His arms…

As though answering the thought, Bramble laid his left arm on the floor and aligned it with the socket. Cherry exhaled slowly and closed his eyes.

“Ffffuck!” he screamed, writhing in overstimulated agony as Bramble shoved it back into place.

“Easy, easy. Just one more...”

Cherry only just managed to suppress another scream as his right arm was reattached. The moment the joint was whole, Bramble scooped him up in his arms, and cradled him in a tight, and very unexpected hug. Cherry stiffened, then melted into his chest with an audible whimper, basking in the protective affection like a starved flower soaking in sunshine.

“Do they hurt?” Bramble asked quietly after a long moment. Weakly, Cherry lifted his hands and squeezed them into fists. Pins and needles rushed up his arms, and his hands felt weak, but that would pass. Everything was working.

“S’fine,” he murmured, letting his arms drop back to his sides. “Fine.”

“Good. I was worried…” 

Bramble tentatively pressed his chin into the top of Cherry’s head. Cherry reflexively pressed into the touch, then snickered wryly. “Thought you didn’t like cuddling,” he sighed, unable to resist needling his stoic and oh-so-serious partner. 

“I am comforting you,” he replied simply. “Am I doing it correctly?”

_Correctly?_ Oh that was precious. 

“Not really a correct way to do it, but it’s good. I like it.” Cherry smiled, nuzzling into Bramble’s chest. The wolf’s ribs were glowing a distinct scarlet colour, flickering just under the surface and at the joints like he had a fever. Cherry made a confused noise and brushed his fingers over them. Bramble jumped with an affronted little squeak.

“Sorry. You sick? Your magic’s the wrong colour.”

Bramble looked down at himself, then shrugged. “It changes for a time after I eat. It will return to my usual colour once the magic settles. Yours always takes some time to become subdued, much like you.” He smiled, then lightly touched the plain, leather collar resting on top of Cherry’s clavicles. “You are still wearing it.”

“I’d have worn one ages ago if you’d offered.”

Bramble made a small, happy noise that sounded adorably delighted. “And Sug-Blueberry?”

“He’s doing ok. Hasn’t left the house, but it’s only been two days. Still wearing your collar too.”

No happy noise this time, just a serious, thoughtful look. “I see,” he said, frowning at the floor for a moment. “If that is the case then I have a question.”

“Like what?”

“Are you properly rested?”

“Yeah…?” 

With a skeptical look, Bramble slipped his fingers into Cherry’s left hand. “Squeeze,” he commanded. Cherry gave him a bemused look, but complied. His fingers were still pretty weak, but his grip must have been strong enough to convince Bramble that he wasn’t about to crumble into dust.

“Very well. I found another bunny.”

“You…” Cherry’s eyes widened, then closed in slow, endless patience. “You didn’t...I told you about asking for consent before eating…?”

“I did _not_ eat him,” Bramble huffed, sounding deeply insulted. He carefully sat Cherry on his bed, then walked across the room and opened the lid of an iron-bound chest. The contents immediately screeched at him and began to bump noisily against the inside. Bramble sighed, ears pinned back in annoyance as he scooped up his prisoner and dropped them on the bed next to Cherry. As promised, it was another bunny. He was a rich, golden orange colour, taller and thinner than Cherry. Half of his body had been carefully covered in bandages, with a splint stabilizing a deep fracture in his right shin and another holding two of his ribs together. He was also tied up. Strips of rawhide bound his hands at the wrists and feet at the ankles, and a thick, cloth pad had been forced into his mouth, muffling the terrified whimpers escaping his throat.

“I found him near the old quarry. The pack who trespassed on our territory had nearly killed him. He had crawled between two rocks to die. I brought him back here and cared for him, but he does not trust me,” Bramble growled. The bunny shrank away from him, panting through his nose with his ears pressed flat to his skull. “He does nothing but scream and try to escape.”

Cherry pressed both hands over his mouth and took a deep, slow breath. If he threw out his own logic and popped himself into Bramble’s head, then the mix of bondage and carefully tended bandages...well, it still didn’t make sense, but somewhere in there was _probably_ a good intention. How could he explain in a way that was accurate, and also didn’t include the phrase, ‘what the hell were you thinking?’

“He’s probably scared ‘cause you tied him up?” Cherry offered.

“But I am HELPING him. He was badly injured and would have died without my aid,” Bramble snapped, as though it should be _obvious_. Cherry pressed his teeth together, badly wanting to slowly, and repeatedly bang his forehead into a wall. 

“That’s...true,” he finally agreed with another look at the bunny's bandages. Looked like he'd been chewed up and spat back out. And not in the fun way. But still...

“You must take him with you to your home," Bramble demanded before he could say anything else. "He is very rude, and I do not wish to be annoyed into eating him without consent.”

Hoo-kay. Well, at least he wouldn’t have to convince Bramble to release the poor thing into his custody. Resisting the urge to point out that tying someone up was ALSO something that should be consented to, Cherry gently reached out to the other bunny gently put a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, it’s all right,” he said softly, working the gag out of his mouth as overwhelmed tears began to roll down his cheeks. “You heard the wolf, I’m gonna get you out of here. What’s your name?”

“H-honey,” he rasped, then broke down into heavy, wracking sobs.

**Author's Note:**

> I struggled with the wolf for longer than I thought! Didn't want him to be a complete asshole, but at the same time, Blue had to be in for some serious consent violations that were VERY not ok. Hope I hit a balance here that doesn't leave him horribly unlikeable ^_^


End file.
